Testing your wifi

Last Updated: Jun 02, 2014 05:01PM EDT

Though the Tadpoles app does work offline, it's important that devices are able to maintain a strong connection to wifi within the building. This connection allows the devices to upload the information you're recording so that we can send it home to families! You'll want to be sure that each room in the building has a strong connection. Here's a quick, simple way to test your wifi.

Testing your wifi:

On an iPod/iPad/iPhone, download the SpeedTest app by Ookla. It's free! To download the app, open up the App Store & search, "Ookla" it should pop right up! Click the, "Install" button & enter your Apple ID password when prompted.

You'll want to test the coverage in each area where Tadpoles will be used in your school, so it's a good idea to write these numbers down. Once the app has downloaded, open it up. Allow the app to use your location, go to your first classroom & click, "Begin Test."

The test will take about 30 seconds to run. Once it is finished, the screen will display 3 results; ping, download & upload speed.

Ping: Tests how quickly your device can communicate with another device over the network. You'll want this number to be below 100ms.

Download: Tests how quickly your wifi can download data. Since Tadpoles doesn't do much downloading, this number can be ignored.

Upload: Tests how quickly the wifi in this area can upload information. You'll want this to be 1Mbps or better (note the this is bits not bytes).

Test each room where Tadpoles will be used within the building. These numbers can help you to make an informed decision about whether or not to upgrade your wifi.

After testing, if you notice that your numbers are lower than those suggested here, we're happy to walk you through ways to improve your wifi! Contact us anytime at hello@tadpoles.com - we love hearing from you!

The benefits of this app are twofold - It's handy to test your wifi before you get started, as it helps to establish whether or not you have sufficient coverage in each room. If you have wifi trouble once you're up and running, the test can also be used to determine if having multiple devices is slowing down your connection, or if an excess of devices is causing some to get kicked offline.